Take-up device for knitting machines



Oct. 29, 1957 F. LAMBACH ET AL 2,811,023

TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 21, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS FRITZ LHMBHCH; ANTHONY LOMBHRDI Y ATTORNEY Oct. 29, 1957 F. LAMBACH ETAL 2,811,028

' TAKE-UP manor: FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 21, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS FRITZ LQMBHCH n ANTHONY LOMBQRDI W2. ATTORNEY United States Patent f 2,811,028 TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES Fritz Lambach, Tenafly, and Anthony Lombardi, Westfrom?I J., assignors to Robert Reiner Inc Weehaw- Appiication November 21, 1955, Serial No. 548,080 9 Claims. (Cl. 66-147) This invention relates to knitting machines, and more particularly to a take-up device for taking up the fabric knitted by the knitting implements of a knitting machine.

An object of the invention is to provide a take-up device for knitting machines, especially warp knitting machines, by means of which the slackness between the knitting implements delivering the fabric and the take-up roller taking-up the fabric is reduced to a minimum so that a better control of the stitch formation by a predetermined pull of the knitted fabric on the knitting implements and, thus, a more uniform fabric are obtained.

A further object of the invention is to provide a take-up device for knitting machines which counteracts the tendency of the fabric, especially warp knitted fabric, to shrink crosswise and which, thus, counteracts a misformation of the stitches at the margin of the fabric.

Another object of the invention is-to provide a take-up device for knitting machines which brings the margin of a fabric into such a condition that it may also be used for cooperation with scanning devices detecting faults, so that, accordingly, the scanning device operating across the fabric always is rendered active for stopping the knitting machine Whether the fault is in the inner portion of the fabric or in its margin.

A further object of the invention is to provide a take-up device for knitting machines which permits a high operating speed of the knitting machine by elimination of slackness in the margin of the fabric delivered by the knitting implements.

Another object of the invention is to improve on the art of take-up devices for knitting machines as now customarily made.

Other objects and structural details of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a take up device for a knitting machine according to the invention, some parts of the knitting machine being shown in section,

Fig. 2 is a top plan section of the take-up device for a knitting machine as shown in Fig. 1, some parts being shown in section and some parts being broken off,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line IIIIII of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatical element.

Referring now to Fig. l, generally indicates the knitting implements of a warp knitting machine, and 12 indicates the take-up shaft of said knitting machine. As best shown in Fig. 2 said take-up shaft 12 may be driven by gears 14 keyed to said shaft 12 and operatively engaged with a train of gears or the like driven by the main shaft (not shown) of the knitting machine.

A take-up roller 16 is rigidly connected with the take-up shaft 12.

According to the invention a stretching device generally indicated by 18 is arranged between the knitting impleillustration of the take-up ice ments 10 delivering the fabric 20 and the take-up roller 16.

Said stretching device 18 comprises a pair of supporting plates 22 attached to uprights 24 which in turn are rigidly connected in any suitable manner to the frame-work of the warp knitting machine. As may be best seen in Fig. 2 said supporting plates 22 diverge from each other in the direction from the knitting implements 10m towards the take-up roller 16. i

A flange 23 serving as a guide supporting the fabric is attached to the outside of each of said supporting plates 22.

Sleeves 26 pass through registering bores of the supporting plates 22 and the uprights 24 connected therewith. The inner diameter of said sleeves 26 is larger than the diameter of the take-up shaft 12 so that said sleeves 26 may surround said take-up shaft 12 in a position wherein the longitudinal axis is at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the take-up shaft 12 as shown in Fig. 2.

On each of said sleeves 26 a sprocket wheel 28 is rotatably but axially immovably arranged. An endless chain 30 is trained around each f said sprocket wheels 28 and an idling sprocket wheel 32. A series of pins 34 capable of engagement with the selvedge of the fabric 20 is arranged on each link of each chain 30. The chains 30 carrying the engaging pins diverge from each other in the direction from the knitting implements 10 towards the take-up roller 16.

As best shown in Fig. connected with a disc 36 passes through and is engaged with a bore 40 of the driving sprocket wheel 28 so that upon a rotation of the take-up shaft 12 by the gear 14 the driving sprocket wheels 28 are likewise rotated. Therefore the movable elements of the stretching device 18 and the take-up roller 16 are actuated in dependence on each other.

The center A (see is at a distance e from the center B of the take-up roller 16. The diameter of the sprocket wheels 28 is larger than that of the take-up roller 16 whereby the circumferential speed of the sprocket wheels 28 and thus the travelling speed of the pins 34 becomes somewhat larger than the circumferential speed of the take-up roller.

As best shown in Fig. l a brush 42 is rotatably mounted on arms 44 swingably mounted on the supporting plates 22 at 46. Said brush 42 extends crosswise at the end of the stretching device 18 adjoining the knitting implements 10.

Furthermore at the opposite end of the stretching device 18 a pair of lifting elements 48 is secured to the upright 24.

The take-up device according to the invention operates as follows:

The fabric 20 having the tendency to shrink crosswise after leaving the knitting implements 10 is engaged at its selvedges by the engaging pins 34 of the stretching device 18. The brush 42 pressing down the fabric 20 towards the guides 23 assures an engagement of the fabric with said pins. The pins 34 moving towards the take-up roller 16 by the rotation of the driving sprocket wheel 28 by means of the disc 36 move the fabric towards the take-up roller 16 stretching same at the same time laterally owing to the diverging arrangement of the endless chain drives 28, 30, 32, 34 as described above. Furthermore, as the travelling speed of the engaging pins 34 is higher than the circumferential speed of the take-up roller, at the same time a predetermined degree of stretching in the longitudinal direction is added to the above mentioned lateral stretching of the fabric. As soon as the fabric reaches the lifting element 48, the fabric is disengaged from the engaging pins 34 by means of the point 2 each of the gears 14 is rigidly carrying a pin 38. Said pin 38 Fig. 1) of each sprocket wheel 28- 48 and may be taken-up by the which it travels around the idling As may be readily understood from above the stretching device 18 serves to tension the fabric 20 until it reaches the take-up roller 16. Said tension is especially exerted in the area wherein a scanning device for detecting faults in the fabric may be used, so that such a scanning device may detect faults whether they are in the margin or in the inner portion of the fabric.

The take-up device according to the invention spreads the fabric until it comes into engagement with the take-up roller.

The advantages of the stretching device according to the invention may be readily understood. Immediately upon delivery by the knitting implements of a warp knitting machine the fabric shrinks crosswise whereby the Warp threads in the selvedge of the fabric become loose. By the use of the stretaching device 18 according to the invention the fabric is stretched laterally so that its width returns to the width of the row of active knitting implements. The stretching device 18 is effective between the knitting implements 10 and the take-up roller 16 for such a length of the fabric, that the warp threads knitted by the knitting implements to form a fabric cannot become loose and, that, therefore the stitch formation remains perfect. In this connection it does not matter that the width of the fabric upon disengagement from the stretching device by the lifting device 48 is reduced before it reaches the take-up roller 16.

We have described a preferred embodiment of our invention, but it is understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration and that various omissions or changes in shape, proportion and arrangement of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalent elements for those herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. What we claim is: v

1. In a take-up device for taking up fabric knitted by knitting implements of a knitting machine, the combination of: a rotatable take-up roller, a stretching device, said stretching device being arranged between the knitting implements delivering the fabric and the take-up roller for taking up the fabric, said stretching device including means for subjecting said fabric to a lateral stretching, and driving means for actuating said take-up roller and said stretching device in dependence on each other.

. and said take-up 2. In a take-up device as claimed in claim 1, said stretching device including means for causing an additional stretching of the material in longitudinal direction.

3. In a take-up device as claimed in claim 1, said driving means including a member operatively connected with said take-up roller and said stretching device.

4. In a take-up device for taking-up fabric knitted by knitting implements of a knitting machine, the combina tion of: a rotatable take-up roller for taking up fabric delivered by the knitting implements of the knitting machine, a pair of movable stretching means arranged oppositely to each other between said knitting implements roller, said stretching means being capable of engagement with the selvedge of said fabric and being arranged for stretching said fabric laterally, and driving meansoperatively connected with said stretching means and said take-up roller for actuating same in dependence on each other.

5. In a take-up device as claimed in claim 4, said stretching means including a pair of endless flexible member drives, said endless flexible member drives extending from said knitting implements towards said take-up roller and diverging from each other in said direction, and a plurality of engaging elements being mounted on said flexible member drives for temporary stretching engagement with the selvedge of the fabric.

6. In a take-up device as claimed in claim 5, said endless flexible member drives being in the shape of endless chain drives, and said engaging means being in the shape of pins attached to the links of said chain drives.

7. In a take-up drive as claimed in claim 6, means for urging the fabric downwardly into engagement with said pins, said means being arranged near to the knitting implements.

8. In a take-up drive as claimed in claim 6, means for disengaging the fabric from said pins, said means being arranged near to said'take-up roller.

9. In a take-up device as claimed in claim 6, each of said chain drives including a driving sprocket having a diameter larger than the diameter of the take-up roller whereby an additional stretching in the longitudinal direction is obtained.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

